‘Living fossil’ crabs mysteriously dying in Japan

Hundreds of horseshoe crabs — known as “living fossils” because they are among the Earth’s oldest creatures — have been found dead in southern Japan, confounding experts who study the alien-like sidewalkers.

Horseshoe crabs, known for their blue blood, are a regular summer visitor to tidal flats in southern and western Japan, including one near Kitakyushu city where they lay their eggs.

Some invariably die in the process, but this year a local conservation group noticed that the number of arthropods that perished was unusually high, a local official told AFP on Thursday.

“The conservation group spotted about five to 10 bodies every day during the egg-laying period, so they started to tally them,” said Kitakyushu city official Kenji Sato.

“In total the number of dead horseshoe crabs reached about 500,” Sato said.

The Asahi Shimbun daily reported the number of deaths was eight times higher…